Shoe-tree



J. N. MAYHEW.

SHOE TREE.

APPLICATION FILED APR,19, 1920.

1,437,735. Patenfed Dec.5,1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. N. MAYHEW.

SHOE TREE. APFuqmou'rlLsn Annie. 1920.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

m m a M 2 Patented Dec. 5, 1922..

i ME STAT 5+2:

JAMES N. IVIAYHEW, or MINN APO IS, MINNESOTA.

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Application filed April 19, 1920. Serial no. 374,885.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs N. MAYHEW, a citizen of the 'United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe- Trees; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in shoe trees intended for general use, but especially adapted for ladies slippers, pumps, or low shoes, and to this end, gen erally stated, it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter de scribed and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal central section illustrating the invention applied in a slipper;

Fig. 2 is a view ofthe invention in longitudinal central section;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the parts shown in Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale and with the slipper diagrammatically illustrated by means of brokenlines;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the shoe tree with some parts broken away;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

The improved shoe tree, as shown. is applied in a ladys slipper and comprises a vamp-engaging shell 8, a spreaderspring 9 and a thrust spring 10. The shell 8 is pressed from a single sheet of spring metal, the toe portion of which has formed therein a longitudinally extended V-shaped notch 11. On the longitudinal edges of the shell 8 are inturned sole-engaging flanges 12 that are normally downwardlyinclined and progressively decrease in width toward the intermediate portions of said edges. In some instances, the toe and heel portions of the flanges 12 might be entirely separate, the one from the other. I

The rear transverse edge portion of the shell 8 is also provided with an inturned flange 1 3 that progressively decreases in width toward its ends. The thrust spring 10, which is flat and upwardly bowed, has its front end portion rigidly secured to the top of the shell 8 and within the same at longitudinally spaced points by a pair of rivets 14:. On the rear end of the thrust spring 10 is a counter-engaging head or ball 15.

As shown. the spreader spring 9 is in the form of a scar spring held in place by inserting its intermediate portion between the shell 8 and thrust spring 10 at a point between the rivets 14. The arms of the spring 9 extend rearwardly and bear against the sides of the shell 8 just above the flanges 12 and are under strain to spread the sides of said shell. Obviously, the flanges 12 also hold the arms of the spring 9 in position. I

The flanges 12 and 13 hold the shell 8 relatively rigid, except where the width of said flanges is reduced, thus permitting said shell to readily contract and expand in width. The V-shaped notch 11 also materially assists in the contracting and expanding of the sides of the shell '8.

When the shell 8 is forced into the slipper 7, the same is transversely contracted and thereby lifts the top portionof said shell and draws the vamp of the slipper back into its original position. The downwardly inclined flanges 12, by their engagement with the soles of the slipper 7 also,

yieldingly lift the shell 8 and assist in stretching the vamp of the slipper. After the shell 8 is inserted into the slipper 7, the thrust spring 10 is bent upwardly to permit the ball 15 to be'ins'erted into the slipper and placed against the counter near the top thereof so that when said spring is released, the thrust thereof will force the shell 8 toward the toe of the slipper and the-upper portion of the counter rearward and thereby longitudinally stretchthe slipper and draw the sides thereof inward.

The purpose of forcing the counter rearward and drawing the sides of the slipper inward, is to prevent the said sides from gaping when the shoe is nextworn.

v The improved shoe tree should, of course, be placed in a shoe at the time the same is taken off, so that it will retain its original shape when stretched, due to the dampness of the shoe.

What I claim is:

1. A shoe'tree formed of thin sheet spring metal, said metal being molded to approximately the shape of the toe and vamp portion of the shoe upperand having a narrow slit disposed centrally in the toe portion thereof, and narrow flanges along the side edges of the device, thefiange atthe outside portion being substantially negligible at the middle of said outside portion, said device heingconstructed and arranged to be bent or compressed to fit various styles of shoes and yet retaln a certain degree of elastlcity,

at its longitudinal edges inturned sole-en- L gaging flanges t-hat norinally extend downward and that progressively decrease 1n width toward the intermediate portions ofsaid edges, an inturned flange on the rear transverse edge of the shell that progres- 1.

sively decreases in width toward its ends, and a counter-engaging thrust spring attached to the shell.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

J AlHES N. MAYHEW. 

